Where There Be Dragons
by ANGSWIN
Summary: When Phil and his team need help to identify a strange...and possibly magical...object, they call in the experts for advice.


Written for the **2019 Marvelously Magical Fanfiction Bingo**  
Square: G2 - Prompt: Fairy Tale Creatures

* * *

**Where There Be Dragons**

"What the hell is that thing?" Agent May asked as she peered at the object on the table. It looked like a cross between a large avocado and an artichoke and could have passed for some weird fruit or vegetable variety… if it were not for the fact that it also pulsated and occasionally sparked. "Is it a 0-8-4?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I've never seen anything like it before," Coulson replied uncertainly as he poked it gently with the eraser tip of a pencil. "Fitz Simmons have examined it, though, and are almost positive that it is some sort of egg. Whether it is alien or something originating from Earth remains to be seen, however."

"Do you want me to _quake_ it a little to see if it will respond?" Daisy asked. She was the one who had found the strange object on her last mission at one of the Hydra holdouts base of operations. She had brought it back to Zephyr One because if all the crazy stuff she had seen since joining SHIELD had taught her anything, it was that you did not want to ignore anything out of the ordinary – especially if Hydra wanted it, too!

"No, we don't want to harm what's inside of it until we know what it is…and if it is dangerous or not." Phil answered with his typical pragmatism. "Eggs need heat, though, right? Maybe we should put it under a lamp or something?"

"Coulson, we don't know what that thing is!" May reminded him sternly. "If it _is_ extraterrestrial…or even something that Hydra engineered…we may not want for it to _ever_ hatch. From someone who has almost been eaten by an alien before…I am in no hurry to repeat the experience." May shook her head firmly just as the "egg" released a little shoot of steam and the three people who surrounded it jumped backwards in surprise.

Coulson looked at the object quizzically for a moment before his brow unfurrowed and he looked up at the other two while the building excitement in his eyes became evident. "What if it is not alien _or _engineered? What if it does come from this world…just not _our_ part of_ this_ world?"

May caught on quickly. "Oh…you mean you think it might be one of _theirs?"_

He nodded. "There's only one way to find out for sure, though," he stated. "We do know one of the experts, after all."

May looked around the Zephyr skeptically. "Where are we going to get an owl around here to send a message, though?" she asked, but Coulson just laughed as he pulled out a cell phone.

"No owl needed…_she_ is quite modern, you know. Plus, it's a good thing that we are already in European airspace right now. That should make it easier for her…um…transport," he explained as he quickly speed-dialed a number. Just a moment later a clear female voice answered with a delighted-sounding "Phil!" and the man walked away as he returned the greeting with enthusiasm.

"What's going on?" Daisy asked as she stared after him in confusion.

May had looked back down at the "egg," but glanced over at Daisy with surprise before she answered. "Oh…I forgot that you don't know about _them_, yet. I think I better let Coulson explain it to you, though. There are certain rules that must be followed, after all."

"Great…another secret…that's just what I need!" Daisy muttered.

"Oh, you have no idea!" exclaimed May. "Just wait until you meet Hermione…"

...

May, Daisy, and Fitz Simmons stood outside of the lab and watched in on the consultation that was happening within it.

"Is she really a witch?" Daisy asked, still a bit surprised by the woman who had appeared out of thin air in the middle of the Zephyr – while it was still in flight! She had not had any time to talk to her, though, because Coulson had swooped in and hugged her. Then he grabbed her by the hand and dragged her off to the lab, barely giving the lively-haired woman a chance to send a little hello wave to May and the pair of scientists. "I mean she looks so…normal."

"Oh yes, she is most definitely a witch!" May replied. "Hermione is our go-to resource when we need information on anything magical…especially creatures. That's her area of expertise."

"Coulson sure seems to like her," Daisy replied as she watched the two of them carefully. She noticed that the man had been smiling almost non-stop since the mysterious woman arrived.

"He is absolutely besotted," Simmons chimed in. "He is like that every time Hermione is around. I think it's _so_ adorable!"

"He has tried unsuccessfully to recruit her ever since the moment Director Fury introduced them," May explained with a rare smile. "What's even more interesting than that is that she was one of the first people that he contacted when he came back from…well…_Tahiti._"

"Really?" Daisy replied with wonder since she understood the reference. In fact, she knew that Coulson's continued existence was _still_ a secret from most of his former friends. "She is that important to him?" May nodded. "Why aren't they together then?"

May just shrugged. "Well, they were both with other people when they first met…but now that they are both single? Who knows? It's probably sheer stubbornness on Coulson's part. You know how he is."

Daisy nodded in agreement. She knew very well that Phil was all about self-sacrifice if he felt that it was for the greater good of his team, his country, or just mankind in general.

…

The two people on the other side of the glass were so intent on each other and their work, however, that they were completely unaware of the conversation going on about them. "You were right to call me when you did, Phil." Hermione explained with confidence as she examined the mysterious object on the table in front of them. "It's a dragon's egg!"

"Really? A dragon? No kidding?" Coulson enthused, as he pulled his eyes away from her in order to look upon the egg with renewed wonder.

"You know that I wouldn't lie to you!" she replied cheerfully and paused for a moment to pat his cheek affectionately before she turned back to the egg. "Judging by the color of the shell, I believe that it might be a Welsh Green…and because of the sparks, I also think that it is probably close to hatching. However, I am not a dragon expert." At the mention of a rare gap in her knowledge base, Phil looked at the witch with skepticism. He was used to Hermione having all of the answers when it came to the magical world. Even if she did not know right off of the bat, she would research until she figured it out. That was just the kind of tenacious scholar she was.

"However, I do know somebody who is," she added with a knowing smile as she guessed the topic of his thoughts.

"Of course you do," Phil replied with renewed confidence and a warm look which Hermione returned.

"Unfortunately, however, he doesn't know how to use a mobile…and he can't apparate worth shite," she continued with quite a bit of amusement. "He even failed his test when he came of age. You obviously don't have a floo here, either. Therefore, I will just have to go and fetch him myself. Would you mind terribly setting a course towards Romania? I would like to be a bit closer before I apparate down."

"Absolutely, if that would make it easier for you!" Phil agreed without hesitation.

"It would….and trust me…you don't want to be near a hatching dragon without an expert nearby. Since Charlie runs a dragon sanctuary, he will know exactly what to do…and he will be able to take it off of your hands and care for it properly, afterwards, as well. Meanwhile, keep the egg as warm as possible…I was once told that their mothers breathe on them while they are still in their shell. Of course, that was by the same man who actually hatched a baby dragon on his own and then tried to raise it in his _wooden_ hut." She laughed and the delightful sound made Phil's smile grow even wider. "Let's just say that Charlie eventually had to intervene with that situation, too." She suddenly looked up and saw their audience through the glass and sent them all a friendly wave.

"Now I think it would be polite to join the others, don't you agree?" Then she laughed again at the face he made at the thought of sharing her company. "We have plenty of time since we are still quite a bit away from Romania, so why don't we all have a cuppa and a bit of a chat while we wait?" Then she raised her voice slightly so that she could be overheard by the group on the other side of the glass, "I know that Fitz Simmons must have some decent tea hidden around this bird somewhere." Then she smiled again as Fitz nodded cheerfully and gave her a double thumbs up in acknowledgment as he and Simmons left to go to the galley and prepare some for their guest. After all, they always enjoyed the visits from their fellow homelander…and he personally could not wait to hear about dragons. They were probably even more awesome than monkeys!

The woman turned back to Phil. "Oh, come on, then," she cajoled. "Please join us. You know that it is past time for a cup of that sludge that you like to call coffee."

Phil agreed and the sour look on his face disappeared completely and was replaced by a genuine smile when Hermione slipped her hand into the nook of his arm. "Lead on, Director," she said mischievously. "The tea and sludge await!"

…

"So you're Charlie," Phil greeted the newcomer with a firm handshake before he looked back over at Hermione who had just side-apparated in with the visitor. "He looks a lot like that Weasel guy that you were once engaged to, doesn't he?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip in an effort not to laugh at his unintentional faux pas, but Charlie had no such reservations and let out a hearty guffaw. "Well, I do have to admit that ickle Ronniekins can be a bit of a tosser and was never worthy of our fair Hermione. However, calling my brother a weasel is a bit harsh, don't you think? After all, Mione was the one who actually broke things off, not Ron."

The rest of the group had a good laugh at Phil's consternation at his mistake – especially when Charlie Weasley would not accept his apology. Just a cheerful "No worries, mate!" was the dragon expert's response before he asked to be taken to the egg.

"I'll show you to the lab," Daisy offered, already intrigued by the well-built redheaded wizard. Charlie returned her look of interest with one of his own – and the two of them headed in that direction with Phil and Hermione close behind.

While Daisy gave Charlie a tour of Zephyr One on the way to the lab, Phil looked over at Hermione intently. "You didn't tell me that you were the one who broke off the engagement," he said in a quiet, but slightly accusatory voice that could not be heard over the other couple's conversation. He had always assumed that she had been heartbroken over the end of her long term romance. In fact, it was one of the reasons why he had never tried to move their own relationship further - even though he wanted to very much.

Hermione looked up at him sharply as she wondered at the tone. "You didn't ask," she informed him just as quietly. "However, Ron and I both knew that we were better off as friends and that the war had basically forced us into a relationship that was not really healthy for either of us. We just weren't right for each other. That's why we had never actually set a wedding date - even though we had been engaged for years. I was just the one who finally came out and said the words that we both thought - so that we could finally move on with our lives." Her matter-of-fact answer left him speechless and thoughtful for a moment until they reached the lab again and saw the egg. It was rocking wildly in the little makeshift nest that Hermione had magically constructed for it earlier.

"You've got a good eye, Mione!" Charlie exclaimed, unintentionally breaking into their personal moment, as he gently stroked the egg and cast a stronger heating charm on its nest. "It _is_ a Welsh Green…and I really hope that it's a female since we already have a young male at the sanctuary. Unfortunately, you can't tell by just looking at the egg so I'll have to examine the dragonet after it's born. At any rate, we will find out soon." He turned his attention to Phil. "Do you have any raw meat on this metal bird, mate? That baby's going to be wickedly hungry when it breaks out of its prison."

"I'll go check the fridge," Daisy offered and both Phil and Charlie looked at her appreciatively…albeit for different reasons. Hermione just grinned, though, as her redheaded friend continued to gawk at the attractive brunette in the formfitting black SHIELD jumpsuit as she walked away. She had just met the agent, but she could already tell that Daisy was special…not only because she was an Inhuman and Phil obviously trusted her completely…but also because it definitely took somebody extraordinary to catch Charlie's eye. He may have been good-looking and muscular, but back home and on the dragon reserve, he was well-known, much to Molly's constant disappointment, for being impervious to the charms of most females…unless they had scales and could breathe fire, of course.

Daisy returned just a few minutes later with a package of hot dogs. "This was all that I could find," she explained sheepishly.

Charlie grinned reassuringly at her. "Don't worry. The little bugger will be so hungry at first that it won't even register what we push down its gullet…as long as it's meat, of course. However, I wouldn't recommend trying to feed it dodgy nosh like that again once its initial hunger is soothed. You are more likely to have a finger taken off instead. Dragons like their meat fresh. Even though the babies aren't too particular about the delivery system, the adults prefer to have their meals still on the hoof, so to speak. They are quick and efficient hunters…and usually leave no trace of their meal behind. It's actually quite fascinating to watch…if you aren't the squeamish sort."

"I'm not," Daisy replied almost breathlessly as she shook her head for emphasis. She was a bit dazzled by the man's charisma and his passion for his work. "It's kind of hard to not learn how to compartmentalize in this line of work," she continued and he looked at her with even more interest.

"And what kind of work is that?" he prompted as he looked around their flying accommodations, the high-tech lab that they were in, at the dragon's egg that they had acquired, and then back at the witch who specialized in magical creatures and beings whom they somehow knew how to contact. "Even I can tell that you lot are no ordinary muggles."

At the question, Daisy turned to look at Phil for guidance. For his part, Phil glanced at Hermione – especially since he had no idea how much she had told her _almost_ brother-in-law. Hermione just shrugged, though. She had always kept Phil's secrets on a need-to-know basis, just like he did hers. It was what close friends in their position did. Therefore, she was the one who clarified the situation for Charlie.

"Let's put it this way," she explained cautiously. "Do you remember that James Bond movie that I took you and Ron to see at the cinema a couple of years ago?"

"The one with the explosions and villains and hot women? Yeah!" the man replied enthusiastically.

"Well, combine 007 with the Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries, and you pretty much get Phil and his team. They do for the entire world what we did for Wizarding Britain against Voldemort and the Death Eaters…and sometimes they need a little magical help."

"Bloody hell!" Charlie murmured, suitably impressed. "Does Ron know?"

Hermione shook her head. Ron had never really been that interested in anything outside of his own circle…and that included her work…and those select few people outside of Harry and the Weasleys whom she considered to be friends. It was just another reason why things had not worked out between them. Therefore, she simply requested. "I would appreciate it if it stayed that way."

Charlie gave the witch a long look before he nodded. He had known Hermione for years and he thought of her as both a little sister and a good friend. Therefore, he trusted her completely - even though it was clear that she was no longer interested in marrying his brother. He could not really blame her for that, however. After all, he knew that Ron was the least open-minded of all his siblings…except for Percy, of course! Consequently, Charlie knew that his little brother would not have reacted very well to the knowledge that Hermione was involved in something of such scale and world-wide importance without him.

However, Charlie was not Ron. He was proud of the little witch and was happy that she trusted him enough to share such an important secret with him. Therefore, he relaxed, cracked a big grin, and set out to embarrass her in the way a good big brother should treat his little sister in front of a potential suitor. After all, he had easily seen the obvious interest in Phil's eyes when he looked at Hermione. _This is going to be fun! _he thought enthusiastically. _Even if she does try to kill me later._

"You got it, Mione!" he therefore answered with that cheerful Weasley appeal. "You know that you are my favorite not-quite-sister, right?"

"Save your charm for the dragons, Charles Prewett Weasley."

"Ah! So you're bringing out the big guns…all three names…are you? Well, two can play that game, Hermione Jean Granger." He smirked mischievously before he turned back towards Phil. "Speaking of dragons, did Mione ever tell you about the time that she robbed…"

"Charlie!" Hermione quickly interrupted and she was clearly alarmed about what he was planning to say.

"I guess that's a big fat _no,_ then," the redhead grinned again at her obvious embarrassment as Phil turned towards her with a quirked eyebrow.

Since she knew what he wanted, she just sighed. "I'm _so_ going to hex you for this," she muttered to Charlie before she reluctantly faced Phil and started to explain while the others listened in the background. "It's not my proudest moment…but it was during the war…and we really did think that it was necessary at the time. The truth was that we were desperate to find and destroy an extremely dark magical item that we had finally discovered was located in a high-security vault in the depths of Gringotts."

"That's a wizarding bank run by goblins. You don't want to mess with goblins!" Charlie interjected seriously, as he looked at Daisy who had started in surprise at the mention of what she had previously thought to be just fairy tale creatures. "My older brother works as a curse-breaker for them. They are vicious about protecting their gold and will stop at nothing to prevent theft."

Hermione nodded. "In hindsight, we should have just asked for their help. However, at the time we were young and on the run. I was still recovering my…well…from the events of my capture. Plus, we didn't know whom we could trust because the Death Eaters had infiltrated everywhere…much like Hydra did with SHIELD. Therefore, we were desperate." Phil certainly understood making rash decisions in moments of desperation, so he reached over and patted her hand comfortingly. That small action seemed to fortify her and she gave him a small smile in thanks. Then Phil was both surprised and rather gratified when she took his lingering hand with her own and held it while she told them the rest of the story.

"At any rate, the part of the story that Charlie likes best," Hermione explained at the end, "is that we ended up setting their guard dragon free and escaped on the back of it. It went rather mad with its new freedom, however, and we ended up bailing out over a lake." She finished her tale with a half-smile for that part of the memory.

"Wow! Here I thought that we were the only ones to get into uber-crazy kinds of trouble!" Daisy exclaimed as she glanced playfully at Phil before her look then turned into one of concern. "Do you know what happened to the dragon, though? Was it alright?" she asked.

At her words, Charlie looked over at the woman in a kind of pleased disbelief for her show of concern for a creature that many considered to be just a dangerous beast. He found that he could not stop the smile that spread across his handsome face before he nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. Mione is not the Ministry Head of the Department of Magical Creatures and Beings for nothing, you know. She is concerned about the well-being of every living being, whether they are human, magical, or not. It's just one of the many things we love about her. In fact, as soon as everything settled down, I was honored when she asked me to help her find the former guard dragon to see if it was able to successfully readapt to the wild after so many years in captivity. Therefore, we mounted a little expedition with a couple of my brothers and were finally able to track it down. Even though we were prepared to bring it back to the sanctuary, if necessary, we were extremely pleased to see that even though she was older and almost blind, she had found a mate who helped her to hunt. He was of a different species, so they would not have been able to breed - even if she had not been past that time in her life - but they seemed to be quite content together anyway…and so we left them in peace."

"Aww…that's so lovely," Simmons cooed from the side of the lab where she and Fitz stood out of the way of the small group around the egg, but still close enough to assist, if necessary. Fitz still had a look of awe on his face that Hermione had actually ridden a dragon, but Simmons was all about the romance. "It's nice to think that there truly is a perfect somebody out there for everyone – even if they are a bit different," she said as she shared a smile with her partner.

"It certainly is." At his words, Hermione also smiled up at Phil and he squeezed the hand that was still in his own. Across the table, Charlie and Daisy's eyes met again in appreciation, as well. The spell was suddenly broken, however, and all attention was diverted to the rocking egg in the center of the table again when it began to crack.

"It's showtime!" Charlie exclaimed gleefully and clapped his hands together with enthusiasm as he winked at Daisy before he had to look away again in order to move closer to the egg. Everyone else gathered around, as well, not willing to miss the once in a lifetime sight that was about to happen in front of them.

The egg sparked again a few times before the shell split cleanly into halves…and a dark green dragonet tumbled out. "Ooh!" and "Aww!" were the almost collective responses from those gathered around the table at the amazing and adorable sight. Even the normally implacable Agent May had a soft smile on her face when the baby dragon mewed piteously for the first time. After just a moment, though, it started to spark dangerously.

"Quick, everyone!" Charlie commanded. "Before it gets angry, grab one of those meat sticks and we can all take turns feeding it, one after another, until its belly is nice and full. Then it will sleep like…well…a baby!" After a quick laugh at his own joke, Charlie proceeded to demonstrate a good dragonet feeding technique when he held a wiener right in front of the tiny dragon's snout. When the hungry little beast caught a whiff of the scent, it clamped down on the end of the tube of meat and practically inhaled the whole thing lengthwise. In fact, the incredible process reminded the SHIELD team and the muggleborn witch of a log disappearing into a wood chipper.

"Next!" Charlie called, though, bringing them all back to attention. "Watch your fingers!" he added in a warning tone.

Daisy fed the baby next under the dragon keeper's watchful eye. "Perfect!" he told her and her eyes lit up at both his praise…and his admiring smile…as she moved out of the way for the following person to offer a meal to the seemingly bottomless pit. One-by-one they each fed the little creature until Charlie took the last turn again. When the package of hot dogs was empty, the dragonet belched and a small stream of fire shot out. It then sighed, curled up in its nest with its full belly, and promptly fell asleep. The little thing was so exhausted that it did not even wake as Charlie gave it a quick, but expert, examination.

"Oh, thank Merlin! It's a girl," he proclaimed happily. "Hopefully, she will grow up to like Verdano, and then we will be able to release the two of them back into the wild as a mated pair."

"Verdano?" Hermione asked with a smirk at the amusing name.

Charlie just shrugged, but his eyes sparkled in amusement, as well. "His keeper has a thing for Italian wizards…and she thought it would be a good name for a green dragon. Speaking of names, though, what should we call this little lass?"

They all thought about it for a moment. Surprisingly, though, it was Fitz who spoke up first. "How about _Aileana?" _he asked. "It's a traditional girl's name in Scotland that means _from the green meadow."_

"Oh, that's perfect." Daisy declared and a chorus of agreement sounded from the group…and Simmons gave Fitz a kiss as his reward for such a nice answer.

"Aileana it is then," Charlie proclaimed with a smile in the dragonet's direction. As if she heard her name, the little dragon whimpered in her sleep and rolled up into a tighter circle, nose to tail, as she melted the hearts of the onlookers.

…

After some discussion on the matter, Phil decided that the quinjet, piloted by May, would be dispatched to safely deliver Charlie and his precious cargo back to the dragon sanctuary – especially after Hermione explained that it was not a good idea to apparate with a newborn of any species. Charlie then surprised the rest of the group with an invitation to accompany him there.

"The sanctuary itself is warded against being seen and accessed by most Muggles for obvious reasons. However, Mione here has informed me that she has been given approval from the Minister of Magic himself to work with Phil…and consequently this team…since apparently both of them go way back with some guy named _Fury_ of all things." He paused as a couple members of the team, minus Phil and May (who already knew), gasped in surprise at the connection. "I guess you've heard of the bloke," Charlie continued with a trace of humor evident in his tone. "At any rate, you are all welcome to join me for a VIP tour of the Balaur* Dragon Reserve and Sanctuary, if you would like. Mione's been there before, of course, but I'm sure that the rest of you would like some reassurance that little Aileana is going to be safe and happy with us there, as well." Even though he included the whole group in the invitation, Hermione could not help but to smile knowingly when she noticed that his eyes had been focused mainly on Daisy the entire time.

She was distracted from her observation, however, when Fitz gave an almost girlish shriek of excitement at the offer to see real full-sized dragons. After they all laughed at the eager scientist for a moment, Phil cheerfully accepted on behalf of the team. Then the group of muggle agents watched with interest as Charlie cast an _Expecto Patronum_ and had his dragon patronus deliver a message to the sanctuary in order to let them know that he was returning with some visitors.

"Can you do that, too?" Fitz asked Hermione, keen to see more magic. She just smiled knowingly at his enthusiasm again as she pulled out her own wand and summoned her faithful otter. Even though it was not as impressive in size as Charlie's dragon, it proceeded to charm them all anyway by _swimming_ in happy little circles around each of them before being dismissed.

"You always have to be the insufferable know-it-all show off," Charlie murmured good-naturedly to his friend.

"Hush it, you fireheaded dragon bait!" she responded in kind…and everyone laughed at the obvious comfortable camaraderie between the two Magicals.

…

After leaving Zephyr One in the care of Mack and YoYo (who had been working on one of Mack's pet mechanical projects down in the garage area the entire time), the others piled into the quinjet. After putting a _Somnulus_ on the dragonet to make sure that it stayed asleep for the duration of the trip, Charlie took the time to look around the small, but extremely sophisticated, aircraft. This time _he_ was the one who was amazed - especially since he had never flown by muggle means before. All of his previous experience had either been by broom or dragon back. However, he seemed to be equally intrigued by Daisy when the woman strapped herself into the seat next to him and began to explain the functions of all the gauges and gadgets around them.

Phil and Hermione sat close together in the seats opposite them as they watched their flirtatious interactions with amusement for the duration of the trip. However, since they were already near Romanian airspace, the flight…and the entertainment provided by their friends…was cut short as they quickly reached their destination.

…

When it came time to disembark, Charlie was the first to head towards the exit. Nevertheless, he suddenly paused and turned to Daisy in the process. He had the little sleeping dragon wrapped up securely in the crook of one arm, but he presented the other one to the Inhuman.

"M'lady." Along with his arm, he offered a charming smile and a little careful half bow in order not to disturb his sleeping passenger. Daisy returned his silly grin as she accepted with obvious pleasure…and with the faintest of uncharacteristic blushes, as well. The two of them then led the rest of the group down the ramp and towards the mountainside that Charlie assured them was really the disillusioned entrance to Balaur.

"An Inhuman earth shaker and a magical dragon keeper," Phil whispered to Hermione and shook his head at the couple as they followed them from a short distance. "Could you think of a more unconventional romance than that?"

"Well, not all of us can be as obviously compatible as Fitz Simmons," she answered playfully as she gestured towards the always adorable pair who walked hand-in-hand right behind Charlie and Daisy. She then paused on her way down the ramp and looked at him thoughtfully…as she wondered if it was finally the right time to bring up her own feelings. After all, they had danced around each other and their strong attraction ever since they had first met on a combined mission for Fury years earlier. However, what was between them had always gone unspoken – especially since she had been engaged to Ron and Phil was involved with a cellist back in the States at the time. After that was no longer the case, though, it had just never seemed to be the right moment – especially with Phil's _death_ and the fall of SHIELD soon afterwards.

Hermione was not one to back down from a challenge, though, and the right time for this particular one had taken entirely too long to manifest. She was simply tired of waiting for it. Therefore, she just took a deep breath and jumped right off the deep end of the more-than-just-friends pool.

"However," she started to say with a sparkle in her eye at her own daring. "I think that a magical creatures expert slash sentient beings liaison and the leader of a renegade secret organization out to save the world might just be a close second. What about you, though, Phil? What do _you_ think?" She then paused again with bated breath in order to gauge his reaction to her question.

For his part, Phil stopped dead in his tracks at her obvious meaning and looked into Hermione's warm eyes with pleased surprise as it dawned on him also that their long-awaited moment had finally come. "I think…" he started to say until he was interrupted by a low intense rumble in the background. He paused at the disconcerting sound and was concerned for just a moment that it actually might be Charlie's dragons on the loose. However, then he realized that the ground was shaking, as well. He looked knowingly over at the other group to confirm his suspicion that it was indeed the work of Daisy - while Fitz Simmons cheered her on. Judging from their overheard conversation, the Inhuman had sent some small shockwaves into the apparently blank mountainside when Charlie had goaded her into a little demonstration with the challenge to try and dispel the disillusionment spell there with her powers. It had not worked, of course, but Charlie still looked impressed by her abilities, all the same.

Phil just shook his head in amusement at their antics and looked back at Hermione. "Well, I think…" he continued his interrupted answer, "that one needs to tread carefully where there be dragons." He then nodded at his own sage-sounding words.

"What in Merlin's name is that even supposed to mean, Phil?" Hermione asked him with exasperation since she was torn between uncertainty and amusement at his unconventional answer.

"The hell if I know," he admitted and he grinned sheepishly at her as he threw his hands up in the air before he confessed. "Apparently, I'm just making up shit as I go along. That tends to happen to me when I'm nervous...and you usually make me feel _very_ nervous." A light giggle escaped Hermione at his declaration. It faded away, though, as their eyes met again. The intensity that they each saw there made them move, almost subconsciously, closer together. Then Phil suddenly remembered that actions speak louder than words, and he just stopped talking altogether in order to pull her into his arms and kiss her thoroughly instead. It must have been the right move because Hermione melted into his embrace immediately and returned the attention with enthusiasm. In fact, they were so intent on each other that they had completely forgotten that they were not alone.

"It's about damn time," May proclaimed in her usual deadpan tone as she left the cockpit and walked unconcernedly past them on her way down the ramp. "However, it's been _years._ Therefore, it won't hurt you to wait a couple more hours. Now break it the hell up because we came to see the dragons…not you two attached to each other's faces…remember?"

At the sound of her voice so close to them, Hermione and Phil quickly pulled apart in surprise - only to finally notice that the rest of the group had all stopped to stare and grin at them, as well.

"Bollocks!" Hermione whispered in embarrassment at the reminder that they had an audience. Charlie's subsequent wolf-whistle did not help matters at all, either.

Hermione smiled up at Phil a little sheepishly while the others laughed. The sparkle was still in her eyes, though, as she firmly gripped his hand in her own and moved to his side. Then she glared at the group. "Don't you lot have anything better to do?" she asked pointedly. There was no heat behind her words, though, and everyone knew it. The entire group's attention was diverted at that moment, however, by the giant gate that suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the side of the mountain.

"Told you so," Charlie gloated and Daisy playfully socked him in the arm that did not carry Aileana. When the gate was fully open, they all filed through it in order to introduce the dragonet to her new home…and quite possibly to have a few adventures themselves in the process. However, Hermione and Phil, the last two to enter the sanctuary, had eyes only for each other…and while they both thought that dragons were amazing, they were already looking forward to a time when they could be alone long enough to have a completely different kind of adventure of their own.

* * *

Note:

*Balaur is the name of a legendary dragon from Romanian folklore as well as a species of dinosaur from the Cretaceous period whose fossils were found in the same region.


End file.
